Chapter Text
In a faraway land, untouched by man, there was a kingdom called Solaranite. This kingdomshone as bright as the moonlight, full of riches, and so elegant that one could fall in love with it in a single glance. Yet this kingdom was ruled by a very strict queen named Amanda. She never wanted to marry, so she adopted two young boys to be her heirs after her passing. Connor and Nines.
Connor was the older of the two. He had warm, chocolate brown eyes that would melt a person just by looking in them. He was known for his charisma and kindness, and his gentlemanly behavior endeared him to everyone, big or small. And yet rumors still found their way around the kingdom. They said that at heart he was nothing less than a cold-blooded, manipulative machine. He had no mercy for anyone who got in the way of his mission. His younger brother Nines on the other hand, was quite the opposite.
Nines had ice-blue eyes and sharp features that made him look way more frightening than he was. People even went as for as to avoid looking into his eyes despite his young age. But despite his tough exterior, Noel was extremely naive; he had spent almost his entire life in the castle, under the strict discipline of his mother, and was strictly forbidden to learn anything about the outside world. His whole life was built on one goal only, to be king at all costs. So, Amanda raised him in way that every second of his life was either a lesson or a fight between him and his sibling.
On the outside, Nines always seemed to be the faster, the stronger and the more resilient one, but Connor was always ended up to be the winner, because Connor never fought fair. So catching Noel off guard and throwing him off his balance was a piece of cake for him. Amanda would constantly berate Nines for humiliating her, while Nines would beg and plead that it was because of his inexperience and that he would improve if he met other people.
Eventually, under Amanda's strict supervision, he was introduced to the son of the head of the knights. Gavin Reed. Unlike Nines' porcelain-white body, Jade's wheat-colored skin was covered in scars - the effects of constant training and sparring on the human body could not be doubted- He had emerald green eyes and messy dark brown hair that didn't go past his neck. But his most distinctive feature was the scar on his nose, a scar that seemed doomed to stay with its owner forever, as it had become infected through neglect. Nines was mesmerized, for the first time in his life he was breathless from the sight of someone so interesting at his age. But the feeling was not mutual.
Gavin tried to return Nines' excitement with a forced smile. When he reached forward to shake Nines' hand, Nines took this as a sign of their friendship and a reason to drag Gavin around. Amanda couldn't help but sigh and shake her head at the sight of the two kids running around.
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At first Gavin literally hated his guts. He thought the whole royal family was made up of rich snobs who had never worked a day in their lives, who didn't know how to be content with what they had, and this opinion was reinforced every time she saw Connor wandering around like he didn't have a care in the world. Gavin liked to compare Connor to a field of flowers, pleasing to the eye but has no other purpose other than to take up space.
But spending most of his days in the company of another prince had given him a different perspective. Being a “proper prince” was not an easy job and certainly not for everyone. A real prince had to have many qualities. For example;
1. You had to be knowledgeable,
“You're here again?” Gavin said as he entered the castle's grand, magnificent library.
“Welcome Gavin, I apologize, I have an exam in World History and Geography tomorrow, I'm afraid I won't be able to pay attention to you today, you're free to go if you'd like. It might be a bit boring.” Nines mumbled, keeping his eyes on the books around him.
"Well, fortunately, I've got a lot of time to waste. Let's see how different the education of your kind is from ours.” he said as he knelt down next to Nines, picked up one of the books on the table, and started leafing through it.
Every time he picked up a new book, his face fell more and more, and these unexpected reactions were enough to make the tired Noel smile.“Well, I have to ask you something, you're a prince so do they teach you how to stand with a book on your head or pour tea without making a sound?” Gavin asked smirking, finally giving up and throwing the book aside. He had a look on his face as if he had just made the joke of the century.
Nines raised one eyebrow and calmly said, “If you're talking about manner classes, yes, we do have them. But the ones you're talking about are specifically for princesses.” he explained, trying not to roll his eyes.
“I personally don't see any difference, you're a like a princess yourself. All soft and fuzzy and shit.” Gavin grinned, finally locking eyes with Nines, Nines has seemed to began to pout, his brow furrowed and his cheeks turned slightly pink. “They certainly don't teach you manners at the Academy, that has become very clear” he said, continuing to sulk.After a while of Gavin and Nines bickering amongst themselves, Gavin finally gave in and let Nines get back to work, and fell asleep watching his long, pretty hands.
If you had asked Nines about the first time the two of them got closer, he probably would have smiled and told you about this, but Gavin's answer would have been a little different.
2. You had to be strong,
In the worst hours of a scorching hot day, Gavin was still in training, practicing in the open space reserved only for knights in the castle grounds.
Inside the arena were steel practice swords, armor needed for training, and real equipment in case of an emergency.
Gavin had a reputation among the other knights that could not be thought as even remotely good. Although she was good at her job and worked very hard, she was often called “favored”, “kiss-ass” or said “we all know how he got here” by the other knights because he was the son of the head knight and friend of the prince.The first time Gavin had caught someone saying this, he politely warned them about how wrong and misguided their thinking was with his fists in exchange for a suspension.
Since then, there has only been one person who has been communicating with him - in or out of the arena- . Unlike Gavin, Kara was kind and mild-mannered, a lady you could feel safe around. The two had met at the academy together and had become quickly friends, often becoming partners in training.
Today was not one of those days. At the end of practice, Gavin was about to leave, sweaty, with his towel around her neck and his water in his hand when he saw a familiar face in front of the arena.
“Am I allowed to come here?” he smiled as if embarrassed.
"Nines? What a day to be blessed by your royal highness. Do walk carefully, we wouldn't wanna get dust on you after all.” Gavin said, leaning his back against the wall, arms crossed.
“Contrary to what other people may believe, I do get out of the castle sometimes.”
“Wouldn't believe it if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes.”
“I've been observing you from the inside for a while, you attack well but you don't protect yourself, and your technique is awful, in a real battle you'd be killed in a second.
"Oh? And who gave you the right to talk, pretty boy? Have you ever even been in a real fight?" Gavin said, frustrated.
“What my brother and I do is no different.”
“Oh yeah? you're comparing your little spats to this?” he pursed his lips, mocking him.
“If you really think you're better, how about a duel?” Nines said, a tone of challenge on his words.
“You're a fucking joke, of course I'm in” he said while smirking
They got their swords and took their places in the arena,
“Are you rea-”
“In a real battle, don't open your mouth, just focus on your work,” he said and swung his sword at Nines. Caught off guard, Noel dodged to the right at the last minute, narrowly avoiding Gavin's fatal blow.
“You're not playing fair!” Nines said getting pissed as he swung his sword at Gavin, but Gavin's smirk just started growing wider - like a smile that made you feel as if you had just lost a game you didn't know you were playing - and he easily dodged Nines continuing to attack herself.
“For some reason, everyone I meet says that.”
Instead of answering, Nines attacked again, this time his swings much faster and more relentless.
“So you finally decided to drop the good boy act, huh?” Gavin said with a face that showed he was much more amused with the situation than he should've been.
Nines had stopped responding altogether and was now fully focused on finishing the job in front of him. Gavin was starting to slow down, with him being fresh from his training and with the sun beating down on them finally getting to him.
“You're as good as they say you are,” he finally said, panting,
“...but do you want to know why you always lose...?”
Nines ignored him and swung his sword one last time, just then Gavin ducked under Nines' sword and grabbed a handful of dirt, throwing it at Nines' eye.
Nines, momentarily blinded and caught off guard by the impact of the missed hard blow, stumbled forward and fell to the ground. When he finally wiped the dirt off his face, he realized that Gavin was holding a sword to his neck.
"You underestimate your opponents too much. You put all your focus in one place and..." Gavin lowered his sword and held out his hand to Nines for him to hold.
“You're too logical all the time, let your instincts help you a little.” he said smiling, genuinely smiling. Nines -even if his pride was a little hurt,- was once again in awe of the boy infront of him. Taking Gavin's hand, he pulled himself to his feet.
“Do not ever do something so careless like that again, one of us could have been seriously hurt.”
“Sir, yes sir, whatever you say!” Gavin said grinning from ear to ear while rolling his eyes, trying to look annoyed, stepping out of the arena beside Nines.
Gavin would probably have told you about this, purposely next to Nines, who would be trying his best to shut him up.